Gilroy
’s long-term planning for an interconnected network of walking
and biking trails deserves praise and support from residents of
that city and the Morgan Hill area.
Gilroy’s long-term planning for an interconnected network of walking and biking trails deserves praise and support from residents of that city and the Morgan Hill area.
A recently unveiled draft master plan projects a network of trails using the Llagas and Uvas creek corridors to connect the western, southern and eastern portions of Gilroy.
But that’s not all. The trails are slated to connect to county trails and the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which might one day link the ridgeline running through the Bay Area. Trails through Morgan Hill could link up with those along Coyote Creek and with those planned as part of the Coyote Valley development.
In many areas, the eight to 12-foot wide paved trails would run along Santa Clara Valley Water District drainage channels. They would include unpaved shoulders for joggers and parking areas.
“Some of these things may not happen for generations,” Gilroy Parks and Recreation Engineer Bill Headly told reporter Serdar Tumgoren.
“A lot of it is going to be opportunity dependent – if there’s development in one area or another, if there’s grant money for a certain area.”
Just because the benefits are long-term, we still must plan today in order to be able to reap them.
And the benefits of the proposed trails are numerous. They will increase the quality of life for all South Valley residents by providing new opportunities for recreation and preserving open space. They could reduce traffic by providing alternate routes for pedestrians and bicyclists to circulate.
The trails also could provide a unique opportunity for civic and service groups to help the community.
The participating municipalities, county and the Open Space Authority should consider taking part in a program through which groups such as Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, 4-H and others can adopt a section of trail.
In exchange for posting a sign (similar to the adopt a highway program), the groups would agree to beautify and maintain their section of trail to city standards.
Managed properly, the program could inspire competition among trail adopters and could result in more flowers, plants, benches and other amenities than local government could otherwise afford to provide.
We commend the city for planning ahead for a trail network that will benefit our children and grandchildren, and we encourage civic leaders and boosters to find ways to support this important, long-term quality-of-life improvement for our community.
